Jewish Supporter Of Marine Le Pen Blames ‘Weak’ Government For Paris Attack

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By JTA April 21, 2017

(JTA) — A prominent Jewish supporter of the far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen blamed the current government for the death of a police officer in a suspected terrorist attack in Paris.

“The perpetrator was flagged for radicalization. He spoke of terrorism on social networks,” Michel Thooris, a police officer and member of the Central Board of Le Pen’s National Front party wrote on the Facebook page of the the police labor union that he runs. If this information is verified, Thooris added, “the failure to detain a flagged radical was the reason for the death of at least one of our colleagues this evening. Intolerable.“

Police killed one man whom it said was armed shortly after the shooting, in which two other people were severely wounded. The alleged shooter was identified on ISIS-affiliated social media accounts as Abu Sayif al-Baljiki, 39, from Belgium, Le Figaro reported Friday.

Shortly after the attack, pundits said it would benefit Le Pen in the elections, whose first round in scheduled to take place Sunday.

Le Pen also took to Twitter following the attack to criticize the government.

“From this weak government of inaction I demand the immediate restoration of our national borders.” she wrote, later adding, “I demand the immediate explosion of foreigners flagged for radicalization.”

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